While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 180 Yao Chen: "Just say it was the Soul Hall who did it!"

Shortly after, Lu Yu slowly emerged from the quiet room.

Looking around, one could see the peak of Tianmu Mountain shrouded in clouds and mist, with only Hei Qing and Venerable Tianhuo sitting at a stone table playing chess. The surroundings were quiet, and there was no one else around.

Lu Yu stepped forward and asked curiously, "Elder Yao, where did the others go?"

Venerable Tianhuo, holding a chess piece, looked up upon hearing this, chuckled, and said, "Venerable Lei and Venerable Jian took their leave a few days ago, saying they still had matters to attend to in the pavilion. Miss Xian'er and that girl Ziyan have also gone into seclusion. Today, Tianmu Mountain is quite peaceful..."

He placed a piece on the board, then, as if remembering something, continued, "By the way, I have already sent a message to the Spirit Treasure Pavilion in the Black Corner Region through the Dan Tower's channels. If nothing unexpected happens, the Spirit Treasure Pavilion should send someone to settle the Tianmu Mountain base in a few days."

Lu Yu nodded slightly after hearing this and said, "Thank you for your arrangements, Elder Yao. I understand."

Just then, a streak of light flashed by from afar, revealing its form—Elder Xuanqing of the Pill Tower.

He strode over, first bowing to Hei Qing and Venerable Tianhuo, then turned to Lu Yu with a smile and took out an exquisite storage ring from his sleeve, saying, "Elder Lu, I have been ordered by the Elder Council to give you this item. Inside are nine portions of medicinal herbs needed to refine the Spirit-Nourishing Powder. Please keep it safe, Elder Lu."

"Danta moved so quickly?"

Seeing this, Lu Yu smiled slightly, took the storage ring, and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for making this trip in person, Elder Xuanqing."

"Hehe, no trouble at all, no trouble at all."

Elder Xuanqing waved his hands repeatedly, then coughed lightly, his tone carrying a hint of probing and expectation. He rubbed his hands together and said with a smile, "Well... Elder Lu, I have another favor to ask. When you are refining this Spirit-Nourishing Powder, if you have any left over after making pills... could you spare a portion for me?"

Seeing that Lu Yu's expression hadn't changed, he quickly added, "Of course I won't take it for nothing."

As he spoke, he took out an ancient scroll from his robes, which rippled with faint energy. His expression became more solemn: "This is an eighth-grade medicinal formula, the Star Essence Pill. Although its effect is singular, it is extremely practical. It can quickly restore most of the Dou Qi that a Dou Zun expert has depleted within a few breaths. I am willing to exchange this formula for a portion of Spirit Nourishing Powder. I wonder what Elder Lu thinks?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu took the Star Essence Pill prescription, scanned it with his soul power, and confirmed that its contents were profound and extraordinary, and that it was indeed of the eighth grade. He then nodded slightly and said, "Of course, this prescription is fair to exchange for a portion of Spirit-Nourishing Powder."

Seeing that Lu Yu agreed so readily, Elder Xuanqing's smile widened, but he rubbed his hands together, revealing a slightly embarrassed expression, and continued, "Elder Lu is indeed straightforward! Um... I actually have another request."

"I still have a few close friends in the Pill Tower. They heard that I have some friendship with you, so they shamelessly asked me to inquire whether I could exchange a few more portions of Spirit-Nourishing Dust. They are willing to pay a sufficient price."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. While the Spirit-Nourishing Powder was indeed wondrous, the fact that the Pill Tower was making such a large fuss about it seemed rather unusual.

Elder Xuanqing noticed his doubts, gave a wry smile, and explained in a low voice, "Elder Lu, you are unaware of the situation. The amount of Spirit-Nourishing Powder you refined before was far too small. For a massive organization like the Pill Tower, it's simply a drop in the ocean. Countless elders within the organization are extremely envious, and it's far from enough to distribute."

"To be honest, several hot-tempered elders even threatened to forcibly take it. If it weren't for President Xuan Kongzi and Lord Xuan Yi suppressing them, they probably would have been unable to resist and tried to snatch it by force!"

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "Of course, most elders are reasonable and only hope to exchange with you through normal transactions. However, the matter is complicated, and some people may not follow the rules."

"Oh? Who are they?" Lu Yu asked, his gaze slightly narrowed.

Elder Xuanqing's expression turned serious, and he asked in return, "Elder Lu, are you aware of the five major families within my Pill Tower?"

"I've heard of them, are they the Cao, Dan, Bai, Qiu, and Ye families?" Lu Yu nodded.

"Exactly."

Elder Xuanqing nodded and said, "Among the five major families, the Bai family and the Qiu family are particularly enthusiastic about this medicine and have always insisted that such an important prescription should be firmly controlled by themselves. The president is worried that they may come to you privately, and their methods may not be very polite."

As he spoke, Elder Xuanqing took out a seemingly ordinary jade slip from his sleeve, which contained strange spatial fluctuations, and solemnly handed it to Lu Yu: "This is a spatial jade slip entrusted to me by Guild Master Xuankongzi. If anyone dares to cause trouble, you only need to crush it, and the Guild Master will sense it and come to your rescue immediately."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu took the jade slip, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He said thoughtfully, "The Bai family and the Qiu family? Okay, I understand. Thank you for informing me, Elder Xuanqing."

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "I wonder if Senior Yao Chen is still in the Pill Tower? How have you been lately?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Xuanqing's face showed a strange expression, as if he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He said, "Yaochen, you mean that old guy... He has not only settled down in the Pill Tower, but he was also officially promoted not long ago and became a powerful elder in our Pill Tower. With Lord Xuanyi around, he is living a very comfortable life in the Pill Tower."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's smile deepened, and he said, "In that case, could you please trouble Elder Xuanqing to pass on a message for me, inviting Senior Yaochen to Tianmu Mountain for a chat in a few days?"

"This is simple, leave it to me," Elder Xuanqing readily agreed. Lu Yu nodded and added, "Furthermore, there is another matter I would like to ask of you, Elder. Could you please keep an eye out for recruiting a few seventh-grade alchemists within the Pill Tower? Preferably some promising young talents, as I need some manpower on my side."

Upon hearing this, Elder Xuanqing's eyes flashed with understanding, and he readily agreed without hesitation: "Haha, I knew it was something important. Elder Lu, rest assured, I will definitely keep this in mind. The Pill Tower may not have much else, but it certainly has no shortage of talented young alchemists. I will definitely keep an eye out for a few reliable people for you."

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Elder."

Lu Yu smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

—————————————————————

Elder Xuanqing was extremely efficient. Within a few days, two powerful auras emanated from outside Tianmu Mountain. One aura was peaceful and lingering, with a faint fragrance of medicine lingering around it; the other was fiery and vigorous, carrying an unstoppable youthful spirit.

The next moment, Yao Chen's familiar figure appeared on the mountaintop, still with that otherworldly air, full of vigor, clearly enjoying a very comfortable time in the Pill Tower. Following behind him was a young man in black robes, carrying a giant ruler on his back—Xiao Yan.

Yao Chen's gaze swept over Lu Yu, who was approaching, and he laughed loudly, his tone filled with undisguised familiarity and casualness: "Haha, young Lu, how have you been! Why did you rush me here so urgently? Did you run into some troublesome matter?"

Xiao Yan also stepped forward, respectfully yet affectionately bowing and saying, "Brother Lu."

Lu Yu stepped forward and said with a smile, "It's nothing serious, it's just that I'm not up to the task on my own, so I'd like to ask for your help, senior."

He then looked at Xiao Yan, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, "Brother Yan's foundation is becoming more and more solid, and his aura is deep and condensed. It seems that he is not far from breaking through to the Dou Huang realm."

He immediately straightened his expression and got to the point: "The reason I have troubled you with this matter is regarding the Spirit-Nourishing Powder. The Pill Tower has prepared all the materials, but the process of refining this Spirit-Nourishing Powder is extremely time-consuming and consumes a great deal of soul power. I am afraid that I alone am not capable of handling everything."

"After much thought, I believe that only your assistance can ensure the flawless processing of this batch of medicinal herbs."

Upon hearing this, Yao Chen stroked his beard and chuckled, "You cunning little brat, so you wanted to drag this old man over to do hard labor!"

But there was no hint of refusal in his eyes; instead, they gleamed with the eagerness of a hunter. "However... this Spirit-Nourishing Powder has indeed piqued my interest. Oh well, I've already fallen into your Spirit Treasure Pavilion's trap! I'll help you this once!"

Xiao Yan, who was standing to the side, was also eager to try and volunteered, saying, "Brother Lu, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

Lu Yu smiled and said, "Of course, we'll need your help, Brother Yan, to prepare some medicinal herbs in advance."

The group entered the quiet room, where Lu Yu explained the situation and the turmoil within the Pill Tower in detail.

Upon hearing this, Yao Chen scoffed, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes: "I know all too well the filthy thoughts of those old fogies in the Pill Tower. Don't worry, Xuan Yi and Xuan Kongzi are more than capable of keeping things under control. As for those who are blind and don't follow the rules in private..."

His tone suddenly turned cold, carrying a hint of ruthlessness: "You don't need to be polite to them. If anyone dares to cause trouble in Tianmu Mountain, just kill them!"

"They later claimed that the Soul Hall was behind it. They've taken the blame for so many things, one more won't make a difference."

"As for the Pill Tower, I will have Xuan Yi argue on your behalf. I doubt they can cause any trouble!"

Once the agreement was reached, the three of them immediately began work.

Inside the quiet room, the medicine cauldron hummed, and strange flames rose. Yao Chen and Lu Yu, as the main force, displayed dazzling techniques, their control over the heat and the fusion of medicinal properties was exquisite.

Xiao Yan provided full support from the sidelines, taking charge of some material pretreatment and energy stabilization work. Although he was a little busy, he also benefited a lot from it.

Within a month, nine portions of Spirit-Nourishing Powder had been refined. Three of them were of ordinary quality, achieving Grade 8 with three colors, and were delivered to the Pill Tower; the remaining six portions were all Grade 8 with four colors, top-grade powder.

Lu Yu took five portions, and pushed one of the eight-grade, four-colored Spirit-Nourishing Powders in front of Yao Chen, saying, "Senior Yao, this is yours."

Yao Chen didn't refuse, and with a flick of his sleeve, he put it away, laughing, "Hehe, with this, I can recover my peak strength even faster. Keep the rest safe, though. Be careful, as possessing a treasure can be a crime."

Lu Yu smiled and nodded, carefully storing the remaining five portions of top-grade powder into his storage ring: "This junior understands and will be careful."

……

(End of this chapter)